Fairytales Are For Those Who Still Pick Their Nose
by MeemoMeemo
Summary: Love never works out the way you want it to. Sequel to Never Go Into The Rain Without an Umbrella. OkiKagu
1. Chapter 1

**Fairytales Are For Those Who Still Pick Their Nose**

Yes I know fairytales is spent wrong, but it just looks nicer that way. Anyway thanks for all the wonderful reviews for the one-shot. I couldn't just leave it there so I turning it into a full-length story! P.S. Sorry if it ruins the one-shot.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama

* * *

Sougo wandered aimlessly along the streets of Edo, heading no where in particular nor for any purpose. Well, he did have a purpose. But it wasn't as if a bomb or something was going to go off in the middle of his patrol in broad daylight. But then again, anything could happen.

Anything just so happened to include a certain pink-haired girl who happened to have kissed him the last time they met. And that was about a week ago.

The prince of sadists was just about turn tails and run when her eyes fixed onto his Shinshengumi uniform. "Oi! Sadist! Don't run away from me!"

One second he was up, the next his face was planted firmly into the concrete. "China, get off me please," he mumbled.

"Not until you agree to take me out," Kagura replied triumphantly.

Sougo craned his head up to look at her. "What?"

She folded her arms across her chest. "You kissed me, so it's up to you to be a man and take responsibility for it."

"If I remember correctly, it was you who kissed me," Sougo muttered.

"Oh grow some balls," she snorted. "Take me out somewhere before I gouge your eyes outs."

He sighed and gave in. "There's a fireworks festival on tonight, isn't there?"

Kagura's eyes lit up. She tilted her head thoughtfully. "Gin-chan was planning on taking us," she said slowly. "But I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I left him for a little while."

"Well now I'm taking you, okay?"

"Okay."

"Now will you get off me?"

"How about a please?"

"Dear God, I have a piece of dirt on my back that I would like you to get rid of-"

Kagura slammed his face into the ground. "You should speak nicely in the presence of a lady," she said, getting to her feet. "Doesn't the gorilla teach you good manners?"

Sougo groaned and stood up. "Kondo-san? He barely has any himself," he replied, brushing the dirt off his uniform. He stopped and blinked when he recognised the tiny butterfly hairpin sticking out of her ponytail.

Kagura noticed him staring and blushed furiously. "W-what are you looking at?" she stammered.

"Nothing much. You're just wearing your hair differently," he shrugged.

"W-well, it was a freebie after all, nothing to get worked up about," she laughed nervously.

Sougo just looked disinterested as usual. "I've got to get going," he said. "Hijikata will kill me if he catches me slacking off."

Her eyes narrowed. "You always slack off."

"Good point."

Kagura rolled her eyes. "Men always seem to be slacking off," she said. "You, Gin-chan, what is the world coming to?"

He ruffled her hair. "A brat like you wouldn't understand," he teased.

"You trying to pick a fight?"

Sougo grinned evilly. "I haven't bashed anyone since I got that cold of yours."

"It was your cold!"

"You kissed me therefore it was your cold!"

"Bull!"

Kagura was fully ready to bash his pretty little face in when a sleepy-looking, silver-haired samurai appeared behind her. "Now, now kiddies, isn't it bedtime?" Gintoki interrupted with his usual lecturing tone.

"Boss, it's the middle of the day," Sougo replied monotonously.

"Later, I'm going to trampled all over him!" Kagura shouted.

Gintoki grabbed her by the collar and yanked her back suddenly. "My watch says it's nap time for the both of you, kiddies shouldn't be wandering the streets after bedtime," he said, dragging her off. He waved over his shoulder. "See ya."

"We'll settle this tonight!" Kagura yelled as she was pulled down the street. "I'll skewer you if you're late."

Sougo just watched them go with a bored look on his face.

Hours later, Kagura paced back and forth across Yorozuya's floor, ready the bash a wall in. Shinpachi eyed her worriedly, glancing sideways at Gintoki who was calmly eating a tub of strawberry ice cream despite the fact his home was in great danger.

"Kagura-chan, I'm sure Okita-san won't mind if you just go in normal clothes," Shinpachi began, in a poor attempt to soothe her. "There's no need to get dressed up for him."

"I'm not getting dressed up for that sadist!" Kagura snapped. "I want to make him faint at the sight of me."

"You know you just contradicted yourself there," Shinpachi pointed out, ducking as she threw a cushion at him.

Gintoki yawned loudly. "Open the cupboard why don't you?" he suggested casually. "Santa may have come."

Kagura stopped mid-way from hitting Shinpachi and flung the door of the cupboard open curiously. Inside lay a pale blue yukata, decorated with delicate cherry-blossoms spiralling up it's side. She squealed with delight and snatched it off the hanger. "Gin-chan!" she cried happily. "It's beautiful!"

He looked at Shinpachi and raised an eyebrow. "See? Told you girls will be girls," he said smugly.

Her smiled didn't falter as they made their way to through the brightly lit streets. The colourful lanterns strung above her head matched her mood completely. She'd even gone through the effort of doing her hair nicely. Nothing could shatter her happiness.

"Would you like us to wait with you, Kagura-chan?" Shinpachi asked politely.

She shook her head. "Nah, it'll be fine."

"You know where to kick if he tries anything," Gintoki said simply before heading off into the crowd.

Shinpachi frowned disapprovingly. "I'll see you later." And then he was gone too.

Kagura scratched her head and fiddled with her yukata nervously. Why the hell was she nervous in the first place? There was nothing to get excited about when had anything to do with the prince of sadists.

It started to rain. The umbrellas went up and the crowd ran for shelter. But her blue eyes just stayed fixed for a particular head of brown hair. He would come, wouldn't he? He promised, samurai always kept their promises didn't they? Kagura bit her lip as it trembled under the cold of the water pounding on her back. The yukata Gin-chan bought for her was spoiled now.

Finally she spied a black uniform heading towards her. It was hard to see in the rain, but the person was rushing towards her with his black umbrella held closely to his head.

It wasn't Sougo. She got Yamazaki instead.

"Where's Sougo?" she questioned, her voice shaking.

Yamazaki didn't dare look her in the eye. "He's in hospital."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Hmmm... well I'm not too sure if this chapter is as good as the last and Sou-chan is a bit mean and a tad emo. But don't worry, he'll go cute again. Enjoy! Feel free to give suggestions as to the development of the plot, I absolutely love reviews with ideas! By the way, how long should this story be? I was thinking of making a good ten chapters as we'll get to see a bit of action as well, but is that too long? Let me know what you think.

Also on a side note, I like using Hijikata as opposed to Toshiro even though I've been using first names so far. Slight spoilers for the Mitsuba-arc. If you haven't read it, some of this may not make sense.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gintama, if I did, you probably wouldn't be reading it.

* * *

The corridor of the hospital was scattered with black uniforms, uncannily appropriate for the mood they emitted. Kagura burst into the hallway, dripping wet and puffing heavily. None of Shinsengumi seemed to notice her, their grim gazes were too focused on the floor.

Kondo was squatting on the visitors bench, half-sleep and fading quickly. She stomped over to him and grabbed his by his collar. "Where is he?" she questioned frantically. "What the hell happened?"

The captain of the Shinsengumi looked blankly at her before he snapped back into reality. "Ah? Sougo? He's just come out of surgery," he answered in a rather distant voice.

"Which room?" Kagura demanded, her heart pounding against her chest.

Kondo just nodded towards the room across from him. "His condition is stable at the moment, but you won't be able to talk to him," he said.

She wasted no time and ripped the door open before barging into the room. Sougo lay motionless in his white bed, an oxygen mask covering his pale face and strange tubes connected to his arms. It was an image so unfitting for the prince of sadists, it was no wonder Kondo chose to stay outside. He looked weak, vulnerable and so unlike himself.

It was only the strongest that could bear to see him that way. "Would you stop destroying public property?" a voice groaned.

The demon vice-captain of the Shinsengumi sat at the window, his gaze cast out into the night sky. "That idiot was shot," Hijikata answered before she had time to even open her mouth. "Three times in the chest. None of his organs were hit, but his body shows no sign of a fight."

Kagura's eyes widened. "He got himself shot?"

"Most likely," he said. "It's would be unusual for Sougo was sniped down. That sadist would never just lie down and die quietly."

She looked at Sougo's lifeless face and for some reason, she just felt like punching the life back into him. "Damn it! You're not allowed to die by someone else's hand!" she shouted, even though she knew all too well he couldn't hear her anymore. "I'm the one whose supposed to defeat you! If you're going to die on me, I have to be the one who kills you! Oi, sadist! Listen to me! Don't you dare be knocked off by some random!"

Hijikata sighed deeply and turned out the door. "I'm going to go buy something spicy. All this is getting too much for me."

All alone, Kagura sat down by the bed and reached for his hand. To her surprise it was warm. She clasped both her hands around his and lay her head down on the bed. Everything that happened in the past couple of hours had drained all the energy out of her. Was that what happens when you care for someone? She wished someone was there to tell her what to do, to help her settle her heart.

Her eyes closed and slowly, she drifted off to sleep.

"M-Mitsuba?"

Kagura snapped awake by the sound of a familiar dead-pan voice. She found Sougo sitting up right, blinking the warm sun out of his eyes. His face looked softer, as it always did on the rare occasions when he would talk about his sister. Whenever he did, his voice would seem gentler and he would smile with this happy, soppy look on his face. Without his sadist grin, he would look like a child or even a puppy whose master had come home for the weekend. She'd only seen that smile once, it was the first time he mentioned her after her death, but it was like a ray of light that beamed brighter than anything else.

"So you're finally up?" she grinned. The colour had returned to his face and the oxygen mask lay abandoned on the bedside table. Just as dawn had come, the life had been returned to him.

"China?" he questioned foggily. Rubbing his eyes, he stared at her as if he didn't quite recognise her. Then something clicked. "Ah..."

"Don't ah me," Kagura scolded. "You left me out in the rain after you decided to go and get yourself shot."

Sougo scowled. "Tsk, Hijikata? Damn, he still has those dog instincts."

"Gin-chan even bought a yukata for me," she sulked.

"Hey, I was the one who got shot here."

Her eyes narrowed. "On purpose."

"How do you know that? You haven't even heard my side of the story," Sougo pointed out.

"I don't think I want to hear your idiotic side of the story," Kagura retorted. She prodded his cheek. "Just don't do it again."

He laughed. "I can't guarantee that-" He coughed and blood splattered onto his hand.

"Oi, oi, are you sure you're okay?" Kagura said, jumping to her feet.

"It's n-"

Sougo began to cough uncontrollably. He spluttered and fell sideways onto the pillows, blood pouring from his mouth. But he grabbed her arm with his free hand and shoved a bloodied hand over her mouth before she could squeal for a nurse. "Don't," he said with a dangerous look in his eyes.

Kagura slapped his hand away. "For all we know your organs could be collapsing," she snapped.

He continued to look at her with that icy stare. "Don't," he repeated. He gasped and clutched his chest. "I can't afford to stay here much longer."

"Why?" she insisted. "You're an idiot if you're thinking of going back out there with those wounds. I'm calling the nurse."

His grip tightened. "China. Don't. You. Dare."

She grabbed him by the collar of the hospital's night-gown. "Then spill," she said through gritted teeth. "Tell me what's going on and I'll smash anyone who gets in your way."

Sougo turned his head away. "It's none of your business."

Just as Kagura was about to wreck havoc on him, the door clicked open and Hijikata appeared, holding a bag of super spicy crackers. "Don't do that, Sou-chan. You have to be nice to the ladies," he said.

Sougo glared at him fiercely. He grabbed the tubes and ripped them from his arms. "I'm getting out of here, I have too much to do."

Hijikata unsheathed his katana and pointed dangerously close to the boy's neck. "Make a move and I'll beat you so hard you won't be out of here for months," he threatened.

He reluctantly lay back down. "I'll kill you when I get out of here, Hijikata," he promised bitterly.

"It'll be my pleasure," Hijikata replied. He sheathed his katana and turned to Kagura. "Keep an eye on him. If he tries anything, you have my permission to put him back into surgery."

And with that, he left.

Sougo didn't say anything, instead opting for sulking to himself. Kagura sighed and sat down by the window. "You're lucky to have someone like that," she said quietly.

"What? Someone to beat me back down?"

"No." She shook her head and gave him a small sad smile. Her eyes watched as Hijikata crossed the courtyard down below.

"Someone who will beat down anyone that hurts you."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama

* * *

"Okita-kun was a good kid. He was always happy to supply me with parfait when he wanted me to do his dirty work. It is my great sadness that he is now no longer with the living and we will miss him very much-"

"Boss, could you please stop talking about me as if I'm already dead?"

Gintoki's eyes lit up with fake surprise. "Okita-kun? You came back? You-"

That earned him a pillow to the face. Sougo huffed in frustration. "When am I allowed out of here?" he grumbled.

"Next question."

"How much do I have to pay you to get me out of here?"

Gintoki's mouth curved into a smile. "Too bad, I've already been paid to keep you here, Soichiro-kun," he smirked. "You're doomed to stay here forever."

"But I'm fine already," Sougo muttered, suddenly wishing for a bazooka so he could blow his way out of this dreaded hospital.

"Now, now, it's not good for kiddies to go running off when someone is out there to kill them," Gintoki procrastinated. "Especially when that person is one of their own."

Sougo blinked. "Have you been snooping around, Boss?" he questioned.

"Might have done a bit of homework," Gintoki replied casually.

"You haven't told Hijikata-san yet, have you?"

"Heh, it's no fun if you just _tell_ him."

"Good. Keep it that way."

Gintoki grinned to himself. "I might have sent on a little treasure hunt though," he said thoughtfully. "Although I don't think he'll be finding the treasure anytime soon."

Sougo chuckled. "That's what I like about you, Boss."

"And while I'm here, I thought we should go on a treasure hunt of our own."

"Does it include going out of the hospital?"

"Well, no, but you can get out of bed at least," said Gintoki. "If you can't get out of here, then you might as well make the most of your vacation, yes?"

Sougo eyed him suspiciously. "What's going on?"

"Just get out of bed."

Curious, the prince of sadists slid out of bed and opened the door to the hallway. His eyes widened at the sight of it. "What the-"

The main lights of the hospital had been turned off and substituted with stunning paper lanterns hanging from the fake midnight sky. The aroma of fresh foods drifted through the air and empty hospital rooms had been turned into stalls with gold-fish catching and various shooting games. The hospital's patients lined the corridor, holding hands with their loved ones and gulping down armfuls of candy.

"Fireworks go off in the courtyard at midnight, Soichiro-kun," Gintoki simply stated before wandering off towards the toffee apples.

Sougo stood bewildered at the sight of it all. Those idiots had actually managed to bring the festival to those who needed it most, to those who would have originally sat in their hospital rooms dreaming of it. "Unbelievable, those Yorozuyas," he mumbled to no one in particular.

"Consider this payment for the hairpin."

Kagura appeared behind him, grinning from ear to ear. She shoved a large gift bag at him. Inside lay exactly a thousand paper cranes, the various colours of the rainbow nestled together amongst the sparkling gold glitter. "It's fairy dust," she said. "Gin-chan told me that making a thousand cranes would grant you a wish. I wasn't sure whether he was telling the truth or not so I threw in some fairy dust too."

"You made all these? As well as organising all this?"

"I made Gin-chan and Shinpachi stay up and help me," she admitted, blushing furiously. "And plus, the festival isn't just for you. The residents can enjoy it too."

Sougo scratched his head. "Wow," he said. He couldn't think of anything else to describe it.

"Well, you did seem a bit troubled about getting shot and the mayo-idiot was really concerned about you, so I thought it would be good for you to relax a bit while your wounds healed," Kagura rambled on. "And I don't want to poke my head in too far otherwise-"

"Let's go, China." He cut her off in the middle and slipped his hand into hers, while cradling the gift bag full of paper cranes in his free arm.

Kagura felt her cheeks redden further, if that was even possible at this point. Just like a gentleman, he took her round each one of the stalls, winning her prizes and buying her food. His expression remained blank, but every time she saw his eyes light up or a slight chuckle escape from his mouth, her heart would quicken a beat. And not even once did he let go of her hand.

"The fireworks are about to start," Sougo observed, watching Gintoki run past with an armful of explosives.

He let go of her hand. "Go find a spot on the grass," he said. "I'll be right back."

Kagura nodded, suddenly missing the warmth on her hand. She picked a spot underneath an old willow tree and sat down by herself. The icy night breeze rushed through her, but her cheeks still remained a rosy pink. Sougo came down soon after with his arms cuddled around one of the white hospital duvets.

He took a seat next to her and wrapped it around the both of them. "We don't want to get a cold like last time," he said, his eyes grinning at her.

Kagura laughed. "When you get out of hospital, I want to fight you," she said cheerfully.

"Bring it then," Sougo replied. "I won't go easy on you when I'm in full health."

"You know? I always feel alive when I fight you," Kagura smiled. "Yato are supposed to fight because they thirst for blood, Gin-chan fights for his bushido, but when I'm fighting you it doesn't seem like I have the need to do it. I just do it because it's fun. I can fight with no consequences because I know your skill can match mine. It's makes me feel alive."

Sougo rolled his eyes. "Because you can vent all your anger out by beating up me?"

"You're the only one I can fight equally."

"So when you're not fighting with me, what do you fight for?" he questioned.

Kagura pulled the blanket around her closer. "Whatever I want," she answered. "Gin-chan taught me I don't have to use my Yato blood to destroy. I want to fight the blood that's inside of me and use it for something different."

"The Yato blood, eh?" Sougo said more to himself than to her.

"Your bazooka," Kagura began. "Why do you tend to use it more than your sword?"

Sougo shrugged. "I only use it when I have intent to kill. There's no point of drawing my sword towards someone whose blood is not worth shedding," he replied.

"You draw your sword when you fight me," she huffed.

He poked her in the forehead. "Otherwise I'd be the one who ended up dead."

She gave him a sly smile. "Is that why you always to blow up the mayo-idiot?" she asked coyly.

Sougo didn't get to answer. The fireworks exploded into the star-less sky, showering Edo with bright and beautiful colours. They watched as Gintoki and Shinpachi ran frantically back and forth as the sky lit up one after another, leaving the viewers breathless. Fireworks suited Edo, just like it's residents, they would bloom brightly then disappear after some time. But as always, they would leave their mark forever more.

He ruffled Kagura's hair fondly. "Thanks, China," he said.

But Kagura was already sleeping soundly on his shoulder. Sougo smiled and looked up to the midnight sky. He thought of the paper cranes sitting soundly in his ward and made a wish. A wish that this short happiness could last forever.

Even though he knew all too well, that in the morning he would have face reality.

* * *

Two chapters in the space of a couple of days! I've actually been sick, so I'm off school therefore I have nothing else to do but write fanfictions and read manga to my heart's content. This one's just a cute little chapter because fluff is good and I'm in a girlie mood. Hope you enjoyed it, please tell me what you think. :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Ah! No!"

A scream followed by various swearing erupted in the kitchen of the Yorozuya. Kagura stood in the midst of it, covered head to toe in chocolate with an extremely unhappy in her face. The concoction, or her vague attempt at baking, had blown up their oven for good, along with half their kitchen.

"Kagura-chan, are you alrig-"

Shinpachi's mouth fell open when he saw the disaster that lay before him. Gintoki was not far behind. He took one look at the mess and the colour drained from his face. "Time machine, someone find me a time machine," he panicked, stuffing his head into the fridge.

Kagura scratched her head casually. 'I guess I should have followed the recipe," she sighed.

"Why didn't you follow it in the first place?!" Shinpachi cried. He grabbed a mop and pulled Gintoki out of the fridge. "You two, get out! Kagura-chan, please go entertain yourself at the hospital, I'd much rather you go annoy Okita-san than destroy the Yorozuya."

She rolled her eyes. "It's his fault in the first place," she justified. "I can't help it if the sadist decides he wants chocolate cake."

"Kagura-chan."

"Fine, fine, I'm going already," Kagura sulked, backing out of the kitchen. She grabbed her coat and headed out onto the street.

Even though spring had come and the sun seemed to shine brightly, the days seemed like they were missing something. It was lonely without the rain. The day Gin-chan bought her that gorgeous umbrella it had been raining. The day Sougo bought her the hairpin it had also been raining. Yet the day he'd been shot, it also rained.

The white police cars were lined up outside the hospital with various members of the Shinsengumi moping around outside. Perhaps Sougo was being released today? Kagura's eyes lit up when she saw the brown-hair samurai emerge from the entrance, closely accompanied by both the captain and vice-captain of the Shinsengumi.

She waved. "Sadist! Oi!" she shouted.

Sougo blinked and came over. "You have something brown on your face," he said, expressionless as ever.

"Don't look so paranoid, it's only chocolate," she muttered, wiping it off her face with her sleeve. "You full recovered yet?"

He shrugged. "I am, but the doctor told me to take it easy for a while so Kondo-san banned me from working," he said.

"So... then what are you going to do now?" she asked curiously.

"Work."

Kagura was about the beat him into submission when her common sense got the better of her. "Didn't you just say the doctor told you not to work?"

"This is more private stuff," Sougo answered. "I want to confirm something."

"Huh?"

He put an arm around her shoulders. "As far as Kondo and Hijikata are concerned, I am taking you on a date," he said.

"Sure you're not taking me as a meat shield?" Kagura joked.

"Well you could be used as that if necessary," Sougo replied, dead-panned.

Kagura punched him for that.

A little while later Kagura found herself outside a classy dessert house in the heart of the Kabuki district. Sougo wore a beige hakama opposed to his black Shinsengumi uniform. He assured her the whole way there that he was good for a fight, but she knew that under those layers of cotton, there were still bandages left from the surgery. If they were attacked, would she be able to protect them both?

Sougo poked her in the cheek. "Don't frown or the wind will change and you'll be stuck like that for life," he warned.

"You'd like that wouldn't you?" Kagura scoffed. She pulled a face and poked her tongue out. "How about I get stuck like this?"

The sadist chuckled under his breath. "Let's go inside before you do end up like that for life," he snickered, tugging her inside.

Inside it was bustling with life. Customers chatted over their tiny cakes while a bunch of cute waitresses ran frantically back and forth carrying trays of food and beverages. Sougo took a seat in one of the booths and picked up a menu. Kagura followed his lead, yet she couldn't help but notice that the staff seemed a little frigid. It was as if they walking on broken glass or something.

"Are you ready to order?"

Kagura looked up to find a pair of pretty green eyes looking down at her. The waitress smiled the same fake smile that rest of them wore. Sougo looked up and blinked. "I'll get a mud cake, thanks," he said, his eyes staring at the name tag on her chest.

"And you, miss?"

"I'll have that as well," Kagura replied.

"Right away." The waitress bustled off wearing that smile the whole way.

Sougo sighed and sunk into his seat. "We'll just eat and go, okay?" he said in a bored tone.

Kagura didn't argue. She didn't feel like staying either.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Kagura asked as they walked back to the Yorozuya.

Sougo nodded. "I just wanted to check that I didn't get shot for nothing," he said.

"The waitress?"

"She's the eldest of three," he said. "Parents died and she was left to raise her two siblings."

"Like Mitsuba."

Bulls-eye. The bastard who had shot him had played the older sister card. Even though Sougo seemed to be over his sister's death, it was the fact that he put work first in her dying moments that ate him up inside. He barely had time to grieve over her death when his work took over again. The Shinsengumi was everything to him.

They stopped outside Otose's snack bar. "That dessert house is only for show," he explained. "They sell drugs behind the scenes. I've been watching them for awhile now, but I don't know if I'll be able to shut them down."

"Why not?"

Sougo stuffed his hands into his pockets. "There are a lot of innocent people involved," he shrugged. "And it's hard to tell who's who. I think there's also a reasonable amount of cash behind it or at least someone with political status that's keeping it from the public eye. An operation that big can't go unnoticed unless there's someone hiding it. It's the same as always."

Kagura tried studying his face, but as usual he wore the same unreadable expression. "What about the gorilla? Shouldn't he know something?" she said.

"If Kondo-san knew he'd throw a fit," Sougo answered.

"Because?"

"Because one of the Shinsengumi shot me."

* * *

Sorry this has been a long time coming, there's been so much stuff on with school lately.

Thanks for all the wonderful reviews I've received! Keep them coming as I love to hear you thoughts and opinions on the story!

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

_"Because one of the Shinsengumi shot me."_

Kagura smacked the couch in frustration. Why the hell couldn't Sougo just come out and tell her the truth? He kept beating around the bush, giving her little hints here and there. Why tell her some and not all of it? Maybe he was just doing it to piss her off. That was something he was very good at.

A light knock on the door echoed throughout the Yorozuya. Like a moth to a flame, Gintoki darted to the door and pulled out his wooden sword. "If that's Katharine, I whack and you run, okay?" he murmured.

Shinpachi pushed past him. "We've paid the rent for this month, Gin-chan," he said. He pointed an accusing finger at Gintoki. "Be nice to the customers, they're the ones paying your rent."

But it wasn't a customer. It was Hijikata.

"Oh! If it isn't Hijikata-shi! Nice to see you!" Gintoki said loudly in a slightly hopeful voice.

Hijikata gave him the death glare. "Is Sougo around here somewhere?" he questioned.

Shinpachi shook his head. "Not that we know of. Kagura-chan? Have you seen Okita-san since yesterday?" he yelled over his shoulder.

Her ears perked up and she rushed to the doorway, almost slamming into the demon vice-captain. "The sadist's missing? I knew it! Why the hell didn't I stay with him? Damn it!" she swore to herself.

"Hold on, hold on," Hijikata said. "Speak slower and explain before I lose my patience. It's bad enough having to look after that brat."

"Well, uh, um," Kagura stammered, trying to think up a good lie.

Gintoki thankfully cut in. "Pay us and we'll bring him back," he said.

Hijikata screwed up his nose. "For all we know he could have just wandered off somewhere," he replied. "I'm not paying you if Sougo's just playing around."

"Go find himself yourself then," Gintoki smirked.

His eyes narrowed. "You know something," Hijikata said slowly.

"Nah, you think?" The silver-haired samurai gave him a goofy grin.

"This is Okita-san we're talking about," Shinpachi interrupted. "He's not one to die easily."

Hijikata sighed. "But he does the stupidest of things," he muttered.

Kagura bit her lip. In his condition, Sougo could really be in trouble. He didn't want Kondo or Hijikata to know. But then again, knowing Sougo he was just off doing something. Or he would end up face down in a river tomorrow morning.

"I guess we could scout around a bit if you're that worried, Hijikata-shi," Gintoki said in an off-hand manner.

"Stop calling me that stupid name," Hijikata replied before disappearing off down the stairs without a good-bye.

"How rude," Gintoki mumbled.

"Gin-chan, you shouldn't toy with him so much," Shinpachi scolded.

Gintoki produced a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Kagura casually. "His name is Seiko Hajime," he told her. "He took a break from the Shinsengumi shortly after Okita-kun was admitted to hospital. The address is written down there.

Kagura blinked. "How-"

"If he wanted us to save him, he would have asked,": Gintoki said. "It's not even about pride anymore, he just wants to protect someone's older sister. But in this world, some things cannot be protected. You just have to decide what you value most."

She felt the tears pool up in her eyes. "Gin-chan," she sniffled.

"Okita-kun has all the information to bring that organisation down. He just can't bring himself to destroy his comrade's faith in his sister. They're not innocent at all, every person in that dessert house has a hand in it."

"Then what should I do?" Kagura cried.

"Decide what you value most," he answered.

Kagura looked down at the piece of paper in her hand and grabbed her coat. "Thanks, Gin-chan," she yelled over her shoulder before rushing out of the Yorozuya.

_What is Sougo to me? He's to root of my problems. He's a sadist and my rival. He has that stupid pride and never changes his expression. But sometimes, just sometimes he can make my heart pound. Sometimes he does things that are unbearably sweet. Even if I don't know what he is to me, I know I don't want to lose him._

_Especially if I haven't given him a good, sound beating._

Before long Kagura found herself standing outside an old, worn down gate in a place she didn't know very well. Pushing the gate open, she found herself in an abandoned garden where the plants had been left to raid the grounds with nothing to restrain them. She brushed through the overgrowth and banged her fists on the door.

A young man answered, surprised to have a visitor. He had scruffy chocolate brown hair and milky green eyes. This were muscles on his arms but remained quite lean. None the less, he looked dangerous. Kagura was sure he would have beaten up a few thugs in his career.

But there was no way he could stand up to an angry Yato.

She grabbed him by the collar and yanked him into the air, despite the fact he was taller and much larger than she was. "Are you Seiko Hajime?" she questioned with a dangerous look in her eyes.

"Uh, yes," he spluttered.

She dropped him roughly. "Because of you I am having a lot of problems," she said angrily. "Because you decided to shoot the sadist, I have been in a constant wave of trouble. Frankly I don't care whether you wanted to protect your sister or what because she is a bad person, okay? Sometimes siblings aren't what they seem. My brother is blood-thristy pirate. Whatever your family problems are, they cannot compare to mine. So tell me where Sougo is before I blow your head off in frustration."

Seiko stared at her, his mouth open in shock. "Well, ah, he's, ah-"

Kagura pointed her umbrella dangerously at him. "That's right. You are in serious trouble, mister," she said. "You'd better explain quickly or the gorilla's going to lose one of his members in a tragic accident."

He winced. "Stop pointing that thing at me and I'll explain."

"Fine," she said, swinging the umbrella over her shoulder. "Get talking."

Seiko took a deep breath and got to him feet. "The guys at the dessert house having been wanting Okita-san dead for quite a while now. But he managed to get his hands on all of their documents, including the names of their clients and everyone associated with them. From what I've heard there are some quite big names on that list that could ruin a few people. So they can't just kill him because the list is floating around somewhere," he explained. "My sister asked me to find the list for them, so I thought that if I destroyed the list I could just convince Okita-san to stay quiet and everything would be okay. No one would get hurt."

"So?"

"So I found the list, but Okita-san caught me and you know the rest. Fortunately that made them back off a bit. But then you had to come to the dessert house," Seiko said.

"Is the list still where you left it?" Kagura asked.

He shrugged. "I guess so."

"Then we're going to go get that list. And then we're going to go save Sougo."

* * *

No Sougo-Kagura interaction this chapter :( If you didn't get the Hijikata-shi then read the Itou arc and you'll get the reference. I don't usually put new characters into my stories but this was just asking for someone new. Seiko is loosely based on Saito Hajime, a member of the Shinsengumi, but seriously the only thing the same is the name, okay?

Thanks for continuing to support this story and feel free to point out any mistakes or add suggestions! Hope you enjoyed it!


	6. Chapter 6

It's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry for the slow update, I've been fuelling my recent obsession with Fairy Tail. On a side note, there's finally an anime! For some strange reason I tend to like shounen manga rather than soppy shoujo. Anyway, a huge thanks for all your wonderful reviews! If you've managed to get this far then I hope you continue to support this story - give yourself a pat on the back! Warning, it's a bit of a sad chapter. I can't decide whether to give them a happy ending or a sad one. Either way, it's going to be a hard road...

Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama.

* * *

**Chapter Six**

_To treasure something, since when did it become a weakness?_

Sougo woke to find himself engulfed in darkness. He tried to shuffle around, but found his legs and arms were bound tightly by thick pieces of rope. He considered letting out an array of colourful swear words in order to capture the attention of his captors, but he already had a fair idea of who did this. He'd let them off for a the sake of a comrade, but they were pushing their luck too far.

Easily enough, he snapped the rope holding his legs with pure strength and wrenched his hands from it's binds. Something had burst inside of him and now, he was just plain angry.

"Playtime's over," he muttered, discarding his torn Shinshengumi jacket. "I'm not going to sully the name of the Shinsengumi any further."

He grabbed a piece of broken pipe, the closest thing he could find as a weapon and smashed open the door. A smile almost crept upon his face when he saw the scene that unfolded before him.

In the midst of the dusty, old warehouse, thousands of men clashed with two individuals, a certain pink-haired girl and a rather bored-looking swordsman. Kagura spotted him the second he appeared on the balcony above. She bashed her umbrella into two unfortunate guys and waved frantically.

"We figured you might want a bit of help!" she yelled.

Sougo screwed his nose up and rolled his eyes. "Help? For a couple of thousand lackeys?" he replied.

She swung around and whacked an oncoming attacker. "Couple of thousand? These are just the ones at the warehouse," she laughed.

"You mean, you and chocolate-head-"

"We had to destroy three of their factories before we could find your sorry ass," Seiko yelled. "And stop calling me chocolate-head!"

Sougo chuckled. "Only three?" he smirked, leaping off the balcony. He stole a sword off the ground and cut down the nearest opponent. "I thought they had four."

Kagura shrugged. "Gin-chan was being lazy so he and Shinpachi went to go take care of the last one," she said.

"Kondo and Hijikata are making the appropriate arrests as we speak," Seiko added.

"You gave over the list?"

Seiko raised his sword high into the air. "You're tied to your family by blood, but that doesn't mean you don't have any other ties, does it?" he grinned. "The Shinsengumi is my family too. I wouldn't feel right if I let those criminals go for the sake of my sister. You felt that too, didn't you? With Mitsuba's fiancee?"

Sougo looked at him with a slightly surprised expression. Then he smiled. "Yeah, I guess so," he said.

"Uh, the soppy-ness burns," Kagura said mockingly. She skidded to halt and blinked a couple of times. She touched the air in front of her as a white powder settled on her hand. "Powder?"

"Powder?!" The two Shinsengumi members swore in sync.

Seiko glanced around. "They're going to destroy all the evidence," he grimaced. "I wouldn't be surprised if the factories are going up in flames as we speak."

"Their lackeys are still in here though," Kagura frowned, firing off her umbrella.

Sougo grabbed her hand and dragged her in the direction of the door. "Let's make a break for it."

But their attackers didn't seem to care they were about to be blown to pieces. If they escaped, destroying the evidence would be for nothing. They simply came on stronger.

"Get them!"

"Don't let them escape!"

"Take them down! They're just a bunch of brats!"

The first captain of the Shinshengumi chuckled and cut down those in his way. "Just a bunch of brats?"

"Sougo-" There was a great urgency in Seiko's voice. He tried to beat his way through, but it was no use. The air was thickening and the smell began to overflow their senses.

"Get down!"

One minute she was up, the next Kagura felt herself hit the concrete.

And then the world exploded around her.

* * *

Kagura opened her eyes to find herself lying in the rubble of what used to be the warehouse. As promised, there was nothing left, no evidence of the deals that passed through those walls, everything was gone. It was only when the sun hit her, she realised a body was lying on top of her.

Not just any body. It was Sougo.

"Sadist? Oi, wake up," she said, snatching his shoulders.

She froze when she felt the sickly liquid seep into her hands. The skin off his back had burnt off. There was blood all over her, but none of it was hers. He'd thrown himself over her to protect her from the blast.

"You're kidding, right? Sougo?" she stammered. "Please tell me this is just some sick joke. You're a sadist, aren't you?"

"Kagura-chan..."

She glanced up to find Seiko next to her, clutching his side and breathing heavily. "Ambulances are on the way," he coughed. "The Shinshengumi should be here any moment."

"Sougo, he-"

Seiko collapsed onto the ground. "Don't worry," he breathed. "Sougo won't die that easily."

"Seiko!"

Tears flowed from her eyes and dripped onto the ground. "Why'd you do that, you idiot? I was supposed to save you," she cried.

"Kagura! Kagura, where are you?"

She heard Shinpachi's voice echo throughout the area, but she'd lost the strength to answer. Two strong hands came to her shoulders and pulled her from underneath Sougo's unconcious body. "It's okay, Kagura-chan," Shinpachi said gently.

"No! Sougo!" Kagura scrambled desperately to get back to the boy lying on the ground.

Shinpachi struggled to hold her in place. "Kagura-chan! Calm down!"

Gintoki appeared next to them and simply stared as the two Shinshengumi members were packed on to stretchers and piled into the ambulance. But Kagura didn't stop struggling. Even though he'd seen plenty of scenes worse than this, all of it was too much, way too much for a child's mind. "Sorry Kagura."

She felt something pound into her stomach. Then everything went blank.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Reviews are much appreciated!


	7. Chapter 7

Exams are soon approaching so I'm trying to round off this story before I get into the studying. These chapters took me quite a while because firstly I couldn't decide on an ending and kept rewriting it and secondly, this chapter was not meant to be in it in the first place. The next chapter was originally number seven and the last one, but it seemed a bit random and made the story seem a tad pointless. So here you go, some fluff before the next chapter comes out.

Warning: I have not edited this one nor read over it so it's probably ridden with mistakes.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama

* * *

**Chapter 7**

The white walls of the hospital were getting awfully familiar. White walls, white sheets, white beds, all the white was starting to make Kagura's head spin. She sighed and slumped further into the uncomfortable plastic chair. Sougo lay in the bed beside her, wrapped up like a mummy and wired into a couple of plastic tubes with various unknown liquids running through them.

Still, she was glad he was out of surgery and into the wards where at least she could watch over him. But nothing could ease the guilt in her stomach, the uneasy feeling that it was her fault he was in this condition. A condition he might not ever come out of.

The door clicked open and Hijikata strolled in, noisily munching on a packet of spicy crackers. "I hate this hospital," he sighed, more to himself than her.

Kagura rolled her eyes. "Then why do you come?" she asked sarcastically.

Hijikata ignored the teen and walked over to the bed, his eyes on the boy lying there. "There's always sadness that lies here," he said. "It's always a member fighting for his life, or a friend with a terminal sickness. Someone is always hurt and every so often one of us dies."

She didn't say anything. She didn't need to. Hijikata wasn't really talking to her, he was talking to the lifeless Sougo on the bed. He was talking about that boy's sister, the person they both loved the most.

"He won't die," she said quietly. "He won't go down without a fight."

Hijikata looked at her with a strange look on his face. Then he shrugged his shoulders. "He wouldn't die before he's buried me at least," he answered. "You know what? You've aged a lot these past couple of weeks."

"I always have been mature," she argued.

"You have about as much maturity as Gintoki has brains," Hijikata chuckled. "You and that sadist are still children no matter what you say. In my eyes, you always will be children no matter how wrinkled you become. You both have a child's spirit and that's why he won't give up. That's why he always gets back up."

Kagura glanced at him. "How did you feel when Mitsuba-san died?" she questioned curiously.

"Like crap," Hijikata replied simply. "But time heals everything. Every now and again it hits me, but after a while it just goes away."

"Oh." Kagura touched Sougo's cold hand then pulled away.

"Do something to take your mind off things. Read a book or go to the vending machines." Hijikata ruffled the boy's hair before leaving her alone again. She knew he'd be waiting outside somewhere, the rooftop perhaps. While she came and went everyday, the vice-captain never left the building once. Maybe deep inside of him, he felt guilty too. Or maybe he cared as more than she did.

She peeked over at the picture books stacked neatly on the table. "Read something, eh?"

There were only children's books, but that suited her just fine. Kagura grabbed the one on top of the pile that read '_Children's Book of Fairy Tales'_ in curly handwriting on the pretty cover. Reading through them as the day passed by, she found all of them had things in common; a beautiful princess, a brave knight, some kind friends and always a happy ending.

It made her cry.

She had the brave knight, Sougo didn't quite fit the image, but he had protected her after all. She had the kind friends, the Yorozuya and even the members of the Shinsengumi. She was the beautiful princess without her happy ending. Her current ending was tainted with the loss of the knight, the only one who could create that happy ending, the only one who could make her truly smile.

"What am I supposed to do, Sougo?" she whispered. "I'm not sure I can go on without you. Not when it's eating me up inside."

Kagura took his cold hand into hers and lay her head down on the soft padding of the bed. And within seconds she was fast asleep.

* * *

There was blood all around her, staining her hands and her face. Bodies were strung around her like children's toys scattered across the floor. Her mind was blank, it was furious. The Yato blood pulsed through her veins and infected her mind, taking it over and dominating her thoughts.

"Kagura!"

Someone was calling her name. The voice was faint, but it brought her back into the world around her. What had she done? Why was there blood on her hands?

"You're not a demon, Kagura. Remember that. Remember that you're a strong person, but not a demon. You're a girl, a beautiful one who's always full of life. Don't ever let yourself be overridden with despair."

Reaching desperately for the voice all she could find was darkness. Still, she scrambled for it again and again and again.

"Sougo!"

* * *

Sweat dripping from her forehead, Kagura woke to find the picture book half-stuck to her forehead. The dream still played over and over in her head. It was hazy and blurred, but she knew it had entered her mind for a reason. A reason to give her hope.

She got up and made her way for the door. The door to take her out into the sunshine. Just she left, she turned and faced the boy unconscious on the bed.

"I'll wait for you. Forever, if I have to to."

And then she left.

* * *

Next chapter will be up very soon. Reviews are much appreciated because I'm not too sure on this chapter. Nor the last one for that matter. =.=


	8. Chapter 8

Last chapter! A huge thanks for everyone who read this far, it's my first long story and it's great to have supporters! Enjoy!

P.S. Sorry about mistakes, I'm getting lazy with my editing...

Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama

* * *

**Chapter 8**

Kagura was bored. She sat on the tiled roof of the Yorozuya simply watching the clouds pass by. When she finally came to terms with what had happened, all the energy she had was gone. It didn't come back either. It had already been a month since, the drug business had been shut down and it's men shut behind bars. Everything had gone back to normal, except for one thing was missing.

Perhaps she wasn't bored, maybe she was just lonely.

"It's going to rain," she said quietly. The sun burned brightly down upon her and anyone who heard that would have said she was crazy. But she knew, the rain would never leave her alone.

She was just about the take a nap when a rock dropped out of the sky and tumbled next to her. After looking at it curiously, she dismissed it and closed her eyes again only to be awakened by a much larger rock.

And this one hit her head.

"What the-" she screamed angrily, jumping to her feet.

A voice snickered down below. A very familiar voice.

Her blue eyes popped out of her head when she saw none other than the Prince of Sadists himself standing in the middle of the street, his leg in plaster and crutches at his side, but it was still him, bandaged and all. "S-Sougo?"

He chuckled. "Since when were we on a first name basis, Kagura?" he said teasingly.

Kagura leapt off the roof and tackled him to the ground. "You!" she shouted, prodding him in the chest. "You, are in deep trouble mister!"

"Trouble? I couldn't have possibly done anything while in a hospital bed with two broken legs and half my back burnt off," he scoffed.

She bit her lip fiercely and blinked away her tears. "You're the strongest member of the Shinsengumi," she accused. "How could you end up like that?"

"I protected you, didn't I?" he shrugged. "Boss would have killed me if I hadn't."

Kagura started crying. "Why couldn't you have protected yourself?"

Sougo gave her a small smile. "I'm only human," he said softly. "I don't have special powers or amazing technology. All I have is my sword and my pride. I choose to use them to protect you. Deep under that Yato skin, you're still a little girl, Kagura. You still need a knight to protect you."

She touched his sword arm where a scar ran deep underneath the cotton of his clothes. It peeked out from sleeve like a curse. A curse she had put on him. "Will you be able to fight again?" she sobbed.

He snorted. "Of course I can," he replied stoutly. "I am the strongest in the Shinsengumi after all."

Kagura took one look at his confident face and a feeling of satisfaction came over her. "Well I suppose Hijikata could probably beat you and maybe even Seiko," she said slyly.

Sougo rolled his eyes. "Maybe in the state I'm in now," he sneered.

She wiped the tears from her eyes and kissed him on the forehead gently. "I'm glad you're back," she said. "Even if you're still a sadist, even if you piss me off at every opportunity, even if you still have a stick up your bum, I've come to realise that I can't exist without you anymore. That when I'm not with you my heart aches and I feel like sleeping all the time. I don't eat and seriously, when if I'm not eating then that's a sign somethings wrong."

He laughed. "Then you're admitting you're in love with me?" he prompted.

Kagura glared at him and the thought of punching him crossed her mind briefly. "You wish," she answered haughtily.

"You are," he teased.

"Get a life."

"You so are."

"What are you? Five?"

"Just admit it."

"Go jump off a cliff."

Sougo pushed her off him gently and grabbed his crutches that were abandoned on the ground next to them. "Fine, be like that. I won't take you to the sakura viewing next week."

"I don't care," Kagura said childishly. "I'll get Gin-chan to take me."

"I won't even batter an eyelid at your yukata."

Kagura pouted like a five-year-old. She pursed her lips together, unable to admit her feelings nor wanting to be left out either. He saw her distress and burst into a fit of laughter. "Do you want to go with me?" he asked.

"Maybe..."

"If you're going to sit on the fence then I'm going with Kondo-san and the others," Sougo began.

She snapped. "I'm going with you!" Kagura yelled, stamping on his good foot furiously.

Sougo winced then grinned. "I'll see you then. Wear the hairpin."

"I'll use it to poke your eyes out," she threatened.

As she did, it started to rain. Not gloomy rain like the day he found her standing miserably outside the jewellery shop, a warm sun-shower that drenched them from head to toe. But rain had this magical effect. It seemed to wash away everything, all that unhappiness just seemed to wash away with the rain. Maybe that's why Kagura liked the rain so much.

It had washed her to Sougo.

Their 'date' didn't turn out quite as they imagined. Sure, they were together under the beautiful sakura trees, watching as the petals filled the sky in a pink hue. But what they didn't count on was the rest of them tagging along for the ride.

"It's just like last year," Kagura sighed, lying on the picnic blanket as the drunkards leapt over her and chased each other through the park.

Sougo shrugged. "At least it's lively," he replied.

"Okita-kun," Gintoki grinned sheepishly as he wrapped his arm around the youth. "Come drink with us."

"I'd rather not, boss," the boy said, cringing away from his alcohol tainted breath.

Gintoki patted him on the head. "I'll help you hide Toshi's smokes," he offered cheekily.

Kagura poked him in the face. "You're drunk, Gin-chan," she stated.

"Right I am, Kagura," he chuckled. "And I'm about to interrogate your little friend here over some drinks. I'm going to pick his brains to make sure he's not dangerous. You never know with the freaks out there."

"Gin-chan," she said slowly. "He _is_ dangerous."

"Oh, that's okay then," Gintoki said happily.

Sougo rolled his eyes. "He's lost the plot," he said, chuckling under his breath.

Gintoki slouched off to breathe down someone else's neck. But all of them were drunk in one way or another, some were literally drunk whilst some were drunk on the season. And the two of them? They were drunk in something much different. Something that wasn't so temporary. Something a bit more magical.

Sougo smiled. "Despite the crowd, I think this has been the perfect first date," he said. "It's crazy, it's fun and not at all traditional. I think that's what we're always going to be like, no matter how we grow old."

She returned the smile. "I think we're going to have a happy ending after all."

He leaned in and kissed her on the lips. Gintoki gave a childish wolf-whistle, but they ignored him. Nothing could ruin the moment. A small sakura petal floated down gently and landed on the butterfly that sparkled in her hair. In a way, they got a fairytale.

And now they had their happily ever after.

* * *

Yay! Happy ending for all! Reviews are welcome, tell me what you thought of this story as a whole. What should I write next? Any suggestions?


End file.
